Data Science Support at the Academic Library

Data science is a rapidly growing field with applications across all scientific domains. The demand for support in data science literacy is outpacing available resources at college campuses. The academic library is uniquely positioned to provide training and guidance in a number of areas relevant to data science. The University of Arizona Libraries has built a successful data science support program, focusing on computational literacy, geographic information systems, and reproducible science. Success of the program has largely been due to the strength of library personnel and strategic partnerships with units outside of the library. Academic libraries can support campus data science needs through professional development of current staff and recruitment of new personnel with expertise in data-intensive domains.     

Where in the World Is My Librarian? Creating Cross-Campus Collaborations to Seamlessly Connect with Students When Librarians,Students, and Faculty Are in Different Locations

Research librarians often have a specialty in certain discipline, and many academic libraries thrive on this type of arrangement to support their researchers. But more often, new interdisciplinary programs are developed that require the expertise of more than one subject expert for support. In particular, students in a Master of Education in the Health Professions (MEHP) program have unique, complicated research challenges that can only be addressed with careful collaboration amongst multiple subject experts. However, this program and the library saw the need for additional expertise to support their students, and began a collaboration with the medical library, bringing a clinical informationist onto the library support team. Together, the education librarian, clinical informationist, and program faculty collaborate to provide excellent services to help students in their research throughout the program.     

Bridging Needs and Resources: Collaborating with the Library of Congress to Support the East Asian Studies Program at Dickinson College

ABSTRACT

East Asian Studies has become a fast growing field among U.S. higher education institutions, including primarily undergraduate liberal arts colleges. Yet, for lack of resources, it has been a challenge for college libraries to provide adequate support to the relatively new academic program. This article describes a successful collaborative program at Dickinson College to address the issue of how to bridge the gap between limited library resources and the growing need of East Asian Studies faculty and students. The same idea can also be applied to library support for other area studies or relatively limited interdisciplinary programs.     

Raise Your Profile: Build Your Program

ABSTRACT

To raise the library's profile within the campus community, it is critical to create a strategic plan and align library goals with those of the university. At George Washington University's Gelman Library, the instruction librarians gained internal and external support to hire two new instruction librarians to better support collaboration with the new university writing program. The library then used assessment data to successfully advocate for an additional two positions.     

Extramural programs of theNational Library of Medicine: program objectives and present status

The National Library of Medicine Extramural Program, utilizing the authorities of the Medical Library Assistance Act of 1965 and the Public Health Service Act, includes support for library construction, improving and expanding basic library resources, research and development, man-power development, publications, and support for the operation of regional health sciences libraries.The program objectives relating to these various activities have been outlined. A $4,000,000 supplement has been appropriated by the Congress for fiscal year 1966 to implement the authorities of the Act. With the construction provision available in fiscal year 1967, over $13,000,000 has been requested for the second year of the program. The Medical Library Assistance Act is intended to catalyze and stimulate expanded support of medical libraries by their host institutions. Bold and imaginative plans by the medical library community are essential to the full success of the endeavor.     

New Fiction,Adult Education,and the Library

Although sales of popular fiction are increasing steadily, the number of serious novelists able to support themselves by writing is decreasing. Because early library emphasis on raising popular taste has lessened and adult education efforts within libraries have diminished, libraries are often held responsible for the novelists' plight. In addition, adult education in general has moved from an emphasis on the liberal arts to a concentration on practical, "how-to" courses. The Great Book Discussion Program was the last major liberal arts adult education effort sponsored by a library. A program for discussion of subsidized quality new fiction is proposed. Novelists would be subsidized by library purchases. Such discussion groups would sometimes appear on a related public television show. The plan would provide fiction with a springboard other than publishers' promotions and literary establishment endorsements.     

Effectiveness of a liaison program in meeting information needs of college of pharmacy faculty

This article describes the creation and implementation of focus groups to evaluate the effectiveness of a health sciences library's liaison program of the College of Pharmacy faculty and to better understand the faculty's information needs in order to design new and improved library services. The liaison services support the teaching and research needs of faculty and students through literature research, classroom teaching, and an extensive library collection of pharmacy literature. Focus group results demonstrated a high level of satisfaction with library liaison services and collections. Opportunities exist for expanded interaction with graduate students and greater marketing of library services to increase faculty awareness of specific library programs.     

Growing the Profession: Mentoring Undergraduates for Librarianship

Since 2007, Brigham Young University Library has provided a paid internship program for undergraduates that allows them to work with a librarian in an academic setting to help them decide if they wish to pursue a master's degree in Library Science. This article describes the internship program and provides results of surveys given to both interns and library mentors regarding their expectations and outcomes. In a new addition to the program, interns now meet with multiple librarians to gain a broad understanding of library work and how different library areas function together.     

A library for the fifteenth through the twenty-first centuries

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), began developing a program for a new library in 1977, started the design in 1985, began construction in 1988, and opened the library in September 1990. The primary objectives were to design and build a facility that would house print collections under optimal conditions, allow for ten years' growth, be flexible enough to permit future reconfiguration, support present and future technologies, and provide beautiful spaces in which to study. The planning process is summarized, planning concepts are outlined, and considerations for the electronic library are briefly reviewed.     

Effectiveness of a Liaison Program in Meeting Information Needs of College of Pharmacy Faculty

This article describes the creation and implementation of focus groups to evaluate the effectiveness of a health sciences library's liaison program of the College of Pharmacy faculty and to better understand the faculty's information needs in order to design new and improved library services. The liaison services support the teaching and research needs of faculty and students through literature research, classroom teaching, and an extensive library collection of pharmacy literature. Focus group results demonstrated a high level of satisfaction with library liaison services and collections. Opportunities exist for expanded interaction with graduate students and greater marketing of library services to increase faculty awareness of specific library programs.     

E-books for the Classroom and Open Access Textbooks: Two Ways to Help Students Save Money on Textbooks

ABSTRACT

To help students withstand the rising cost of textbooks and in turn support the mission of student success, the University of South Florida (USF) has implemented two electronic resources–based initiatives as part of the Tampa Library’s Textbook Affordability Project. Through the E-books for the Classroom program, the library purchases electronic versions of texts required for coursework, providing equitable access to needed materials at no cost to the students. For the past 5 years, this program has evolved into a highly successful textbook affordability measure, acquiring hundreds of e-books and serving thousands of students. Additionally, the library, with the support of the Office of the Provost and in collaboration with Innovative Education, is publishing a faculty-authored multimedia Open Access textbook to be used by hundreds of students each semester in USF’s children’s literature courses. The USF institutional repository, Scholar Commons, will host the textbook, making it freely available on a global scale. This program effectively uses library expertise and skills, coordinating university-wide faculty, professional, and technical resources, to create library-as-publisher for the benefit of the students and textbook affordability.     

A library-based bioinformatics services program

Support for molecular biology researchers has been limited to traditional library resources and services in most academic health sciences libraries. The University of Washington Health Sciences Libraries have been providing specialized services to this user community since 1995. The library recruited a Ph.D. biologist to assess the molecular biological information needs of researchers and design strategies to enhance library resources and services. A survey of laboratory research groups identified areas of greatest need and led to the development of a three-pronged program: consultation, education, and resource development. Outcomes of this program include bioinformatics consultation services, library-based and graduate level courses, networking of sequence analysis tools, and a biological research Web site. Bioinformatics clients are drawn from diverse departments and include clinical researchers in need of tools that are not readily available outside of basic sciences laboratories. Evaluation and usage statistics indicate that researchers, regardless of departmental affiliation or position, require support to access molecular biology and genetics resources. Centralizing such services in the library is a natural synergy of interests and enhances the provision of traditional library resources. Successful implementation of a library-based bioinformatics program requires both subject-specific and library and information technology expertise.     

The Role of the Center for Research Libraries in the History and Future of Cooperative Collection Development

Abstract

Almost fifty years ago, when the organization that now is the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) was founded, university and research libraries were facing issues similar to those challenging them today: lack of space in libraries to shelve growing collections; new library materials formats to absorb into acquisitions budgets; more or more expensive research materials to which patrons needed access.

In 1949, higher education looked for solutions in cooperative programs. CRL evolved as a unique endeavor-a program for cooperative collection development and a library that acquires and makes available essential research materials. CRL has endured because of its members' commitment, the gradual building of a unique, centralized library collection, and the organization's capacity to serve as a coordinator for cooperative decisions and implementation of programs. These strengths will support CRL into the future.     

Bibliographic Instruction for the Upward Bound Residential Students

Abstract

The Upward Bound Program has existed in the United States to offer support to underprivileged high school students. The University of Toledo Libraries participated in an Upward Bound Collaborative with community members and faculty to provide support for Upward Bound students during the academic year. Carlson Library made a commitment to offer bibliographic instruction and additional follow-up contact with the summer residential Upward Bound students. A survey of library participation in Ohio Upward Bound programs shows levels of library and Upward Bound program partnerships. Libraries should play an active role in providing library instruction to Upward Bound students to uphold the ultimate goal of access and success in higher education.     

介于用户和图书馆员的心理契约——基于问卷调查的实证研究

调查中国科学院研究生院的研究生对数字图书馆的观点。透过Pearson相关系数检验,结果显示两项明显相关性：“数字图书馆提供数据”和“数字图书馆提供文献下载”的相关性;“数字图书馆提供数据”和“数字图书馆提供问题解决方案”的相关性。得出结论：用户进入图书馆网站的目的性强,期望数字图书馆提供情报分析、与共同研究合作者的沟通服务以及问题解决模式等服务。建议应该在上述数字图书馆服务上建立起介于用户和图书馆员的心理契约的建议。     

Managing a Biomedical Library’s Instruction Program: Redefining Scope

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) library instruction program provides training services to staff, clinicians, and researchers across NIH and several Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) operating divisions. The audience, training needs, and training topics are diverse and constantly changing. The NIH library has developed several new services and class topics to meet the needs of its NIH and HHS communities. Context, strategies, and future directions for the NIH library instruction program are described.     

The Veterans Administration library program

The Veterans Administration Library Service is continuously responsive to the information requirements of the agency's policies which provide for the improved care and treatment of veterans through research, education, and clinical programs. At the same time, it participates in the planning of the federal government as a whole in providing library support for health care for the American people. There are both internal and external forces influencing VA hospitals and their libraries. Retirements and consequent recruitment of new people will necessitate a rethinking of the VA library program at the same time as external forces will be affecting the program. These external forces include the application of machines to library services through the development of in-house capabilities coupled with joint-use participation and P.L. 89-785 which provides for the exchange of medical information, sharing of facilities, and cooperative training programs. A conceptual rearrangement of information resources will facilitate attainment of our goals.     

STEM Bridges: Evolution of an Academic Library STEM Outreach Program

Big Orange STEM Saturday (BOSS) is a sustainable model of outreach that fosters the STEM cycle of discovery and learning experiences. Through this program, the library creates and reinforces a bridge between secondary educational experiences and higher education that facilitates the transfer of knowledge from the classroom to the world. Local high school students are able to engage with experts in several different ways to explore what STEM has to offer and to look beyond their current experiences. This approach creates a venue for STEM teaching spaces outside the school classroom for enrichment and innovation. Over the past 5 years, the variety of experiences offered at BOSS have expanded and the reputation of the program has grown. This article explores the challenges, lessons, and impact that this program has had on its constituents, with a particular focus on the impact the library can have when exploring nontraditional areas of support and outreach.     

Critical Moments: Chance,Choice, and Change in Scholarly Publishing

Dr. Katherine Skinner is the Executive Director of the Educopia Institute. Founded in 2006, the Educopia Institute is a nonprofit educational organization that hosts inter-institutional, collaborative programs for the production, dissemination, and preservation of digital scholarship. She is the founding program director for the MetaArchive Cooperative that launched in 2004. That community-owned and community-governed digital preservation network now has more than 50 member institutions in four countries. Dr. Skinner also directs the Library Publishing Coalition project, a two-year initiative to create a new organization to support library publishing and scholarly communications activities in conjunction with more than 50 academic libraries.     

引入定标比超法的高校图书馆服务优化实证研究

[目的/意义] 持续改进用户服务是大学图书馆可持续发展的根基,但当前的用户服务研究对图书馆现实服务的提升作用不明显。尝试在图书馆引入定标比超法,为图书馆服务提供一种实用、有效的优化方法和改进思路。[方法/过程] 梳理当前图书馆服务优化的常用方法和定标比超在图书馆界的应用,提出多目标定标比超在图书馆服务优化中的实施流程。选择一家高校图书馆与两家目标图书馆开展实证研究,建立新信息环境下包括三大层次、11项二级指标和46个评价项目的服务评价指标体系,分析本馆用户服务劣势和目标馆优秀实践,拟定服务优化的赶超方案。[结果/结论] 定标比超法之于图书馆服务领域,是一种务实、有效且易于操作的方法,为图书馆管理与创新提供了新的思路;加入新媒体服务、新技术采纳等评价内容的指标体系为今后图书馆评估指标的制订发挥参考作用。